As such a vehicle door latch device, a relate-art vehicle door latch device is configured such that, when a door is brought into a half-closed state, a latch is rotationally driven by a latch driving motor, and the door is brought into a fully closed state. Here, when the door is brought into a fully closed state, a sound-proofing member is pressed between the door and a vehicle body, the latch and a pawl are pressed against each other by the reaction force to be frictionally engaged with each other. The frictional engagement becomes operation resistance when a handle of the door is operated. Thus, the related-art vehicle door latch device is configured such that a release motor rotationally drives the pawl according to the operation of the handle, thereby separating the pawl from the latch (For example, JP-A-2001-98819, paragraphs [0025] and [0028], and FIG. 2).
However, in the related-art vehicle door latch device, in a case where the release motor has abnormally stopped in a state where the pawl is held in the unlatched position where the rotation of the latch is permitted, it becomes difficult to lock the door in a fully closed state.